Moments in Time
by OfTheFullMoon
Summary: A series of 50 snapshots inspired by 50 words. Mainly centered around Sam and Bumblebee's friendship. One-shots of some moments will be added periodically.
1. 50 Moments

**A/N: **_I've seen other writers do similar fics with many different themes/characters, so I thought I'd try my hand at doing one for Sam and Bumblebee. I got the word list here: 1sentenceorder. /1531. html, and this is done with theme set Gamma. Obviously I didn't stick with the one sentence limit, but anyways..._

_I just want to mention that this is a friendship theme only; I'm not intending it to be anything more than that. Also, in regards to #1, yes, I know that Sam and Mikaela broke up, but I'm not a huge fan of Carly, so Mikaela stays. :)_

_Sadly, the characters do not belong to me._

**EDIT:** _This story is being translated into Spanish, thanks to blackflowersblossom, who has done a wonderful job translating. The Spanish version can be read here: www. /s/7639722/1/ Momentos_en_el_tiempo_

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><p><strong>1. Ring<strong>

Bumblebee would never forget the expressions on both of the humans' faces when Sam finally presented Mikaela with the long-awaited ring.

**2. Hero**

Sam didn't feel like a hero. A hero was fearless and strong, not a high school boy who woke at night to face the memories of his "heroism."

**3. Memory**

Few things frightened Bumblebee more than the day when his charge would only be one of the many memories stored in his processor.

**4. Box**

It amused Bumblebee to no end to watch his charge scurry around preparing for the thing he called "Christmas," but he never expected the brightly wrapped package that the boy shyly handed him on Christmas morning.

**5. Run**

Every once in a while Sam would get the sudden urge to flee when an unexpected touch from his guardian startled him out of his thoughts…usually the ones that involved being grabbed by Decepticons.

**6. Hurricane**

Their first fight swept in with all the fury of a titanic storm and left them both feeling cold and miserable from the argument's stormy rains.

**7. Wings**

Sam no longer believed that all angels had halos and feathered wings. The yellow Camaro in his driveway was proof of that.

**8. Cold**

The cold had never bothered Bumblebee until after his encounter with Sector Seven, but he only needed the warmth of Sam's hands to chase the chill away.

**9. Red**

Sam had always thought that anger was the color red, but after Mission City, fear was the harsh scarlet of Megatron's optics as he reached out to snatch the Allspark.

**10. Drink**

Miles had never seen Sam freak out as much as he did when Miles spilled his Coke onto the leather interior of Sam's Camaro.

**11. Midnight**

Any other teenage boy would have to be insane to be huddled in his garage at midnight talking to his car, but for Sam, it was perfectly normal.

**12. Temptation**

There were times when Sam wanted nothing more than to run away and vanish just to escape from the chaos of his life, but he knew that his escape wouldn't last long, especially when being tracked by a certain yellow Camaro.

**13. View**

Both Sam and Bumblebee had to wonder how it was that one person could step into your life and completely change the way you see the world.

**14. Music**

Music never held so much meaning as it did when it rang out from Bumblebee's speakers.

**15. Silk**

The first time Sam touched Bee's armor, he couldn't help but be amazed at what he felt. He'd expected Bee to feel like any other metal object, but there was something different…something much softer…smoother…that he just couldn't describe.

**16. Cover**

There were times when Sam would fall asleep in the garage during a late night talk with Bumblebee, and he would always awake to find a warm metal hand curled protectively around him.

**17. Promise**

Bumblebee knew he could never leave his charge's side – not because it was his duty as a guardian, but because of the silent vow he had made when he asked to stay with Sam.

**18. Dream**

Sam had always fantasized about having an exciting life, but now that more than he ever wished for had come true, he feared the day when he would have to wake up and realize that it had all been in his head.

**19. Candle**

There were times when Sam felt that the fear inside him would smother him in darkness, but it only took the presence of his guardian to push back the shadows in his mind.

**20. Talent**

Sam sometimes wondered if his only ability was being able to run for his life – not that that wasn't useful at times, but he desperately wished he wasn't so helpless.

**21. Silence**

Sam was an expert at fighting with angry words, but Bee was equally adept at fighting without them.

**22. Journey**

Neither Sam nor Bee could say that being friends was always easy; there were so many differences that they had to work through, so many lessons that had to be learned. But in the end, everything was worth it.

**23. Fire**

The saying "trial by fire" held a slightly different meaning for Sam after fighting his way through burning cities.

**24. Strength**

It was unbelievable that a being with such strength and power could handle him with infinite care and gentleness, never so much as bruising his fragile skin.

**25. Mask**

Sam would have been lying if he said that the appearance of Bee's battle mask didn't frighten him at times, taking away his cheerful guardian and replacing him with an unhesitating warrior.

**26. Ice**

Sam could never forget the sight of Sector Seven trying to encase his guardian in ice, nor could he forget the screams that had emitted from the Autobot's broken vocalizer as he'd been taken away.

**27. Fall**

Dreaming of falling is a normal occurrence for many people, but in Sam's dreams, he always fell from that same building with the Allspark clutched in his arms.

**28. Forgotten**

There were times when Sam would forget that his car was not just a car. He would spend hours at Mikaela's house or stay late after school to talk to his friends, leaving Bee to wait patiently to drive him home again.

**29. Dance**

Bumblebee couldn't help but envy Sam and Mikaela as he drove them to the high school dance. It was just one of the many human customs that he could never take part in.

**30. Body**

It scared Bee to think about how fragile his charge was. One wrong move and Sam's breakable form would become lifeless.

**31. Sacred**

The bond between friends is often impossible to describe; it's something so precious and intricate that mere words are never good enough to capture the connection between two beings.

**32. Farewells**

When Bee went to join NEST after Sam graduated, both he and Sam acted as if the separation would be temporary, each ignoring their unspoken fears.

**33. World**

Earth could never replace Cybertron for Bumblebee, but neither could Cybertron ever replace Earth.

**34. Formal**

It took a while for Sam to fully relax around his new guardian, despite all they'd been through. How could he laugh and joke with someone so powerful?

**35. Fever**

Bumblebee stood outside Sam's window for the three nights that the illness controlled Sam's body. No matter how often he was reassured that his charge would recover, he felt better when he could see for himself that the boy was still alive.

**36. Laugh**

Bumblebee had almost forgotten what laughter sounded like until he first heard Sam's voice ring out in happiness.

**37. Lies**

Sometimes Sam wondered how often Bee lied to him. Not to hurt him – Bee would never do that – but to keep him safe and happy. How often did he pretend his own hurts, fears, and nightmares didn't exist so he could take care of Sam's?

**38. Forever**

It was during those quiet moments spent in Sam's garage or at the outlook over Tranquility, the moments when no words were needed, when both boy and bot heard the unspoken whisper "forever."

**39. Overwhelmed**

The thought that Bumblebee would choose to spend his time guarding him was something that never failed to humble Sam. How could any one human be worth the time of such a majestic being?

**40. Whisper**

Despite the bond Sam felt he had formed with his guardian, there were times when a small voice in his head suggested that maybe the Autobot stayed with him out of duty and not friendship.

**41. Wait**

Despite Sam's suggestion that he find something else to do with his time, Bee insisted on driving Sam to school every day, then placed himself in the student parking lot, never once moving until Sam's return.

**42. Talk**

It never mattered that Bumblebee couldn't speak. Sam and Bee didn't need words to seal their bond – there was something between them that went deeper than speech could have ever portrayed.

**43. Search**

Bumblebee often wondered what his life would have been like if the Allspark had never landed on Earth, but he knew for sure that he would still be searching for something that he could never name.

**44. Hope**

There were times when Bumblebee had almost convinced himself that there was no hope left in the universe. His friendship with Sam changed that in an instant.

**45. Eclipse**

Living on Earth could almost make him forget about the Decepticons sharing the planet, but each 'Con sighting or attack cast a dark shadow on Bumblebee's joy.

**46. Gravity**

"Does Cybertron have gravity?" was only one of the many questions that Sam asked his guardian when the Autobot was willing to talk about his home.

**47. Highway**

Some of the best times Sam had with his guardian were when the two were racing down the highway with the wind whipping past them and nothing to stand in their way.

**48. Unknown**

Neither of them knew what the future held, but exploring it together was what made the uncertainty acceptable.

**49. Lock**

Sometimes the only way for Bee to make Sam admit that something was bothering him was to lock the boy inside his Camaro form until he finally confessed.

**50. Breathe**

Bumblebee held his sleeping charge in his hand, fearing that if he took his optics off the boy for one second, the human's frail body would stop working…that somehow Bee's inattention would stop the small chest from rising and falling…that Bee was the only thing standing between Sam and the cold hands of death.

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><p><em>Let me know what you thought! I'm making some of these into one-shots; let me know if there's a particular one you'd like to see expanded.<em>


	2. 4: Box

_#4: Box – It amused Bumblebee to no end to watch his charge scurry around preparing for the thing he called "Christmas," but he never expected the brightly wrapped package that the boy shyly handed him on Christmas morning._

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><p>Out of all the holidays that humans celebrated, Christmas seemed to be the one that got them the most excited. In Bumblebee's opinion, celebrating the idea that a plump human in a red suit came sneaking into one's house to leave mysterious wrapped packages was just strange - not to mention a bit creepy. But then, he had to admit that he didn't know everything about human culture yet. He had only been living with Sam and his family for a short time, and he was still learning. After all, reading facts off the humans' World Wide Web was nothing like experiencing it firsthand.<p>

So it was with great curiosity and growing amusement that the young Autobot watched the preparations begin for the upcoming holiday. The Witwicky family began their Christmas activities almost immediately after the holiday called 'Thanksgiving,' despite the fact that Christmas was nearly a month away. Of course, that was rather late compared to the many stores that had started advertising for the winter holiday the instant another holiday, 'Halloween,' had been completed nearly a month before Thanksgiving. It seemed to Bumblebee that nearly half of his radio stations had started running Christmas music at the end of October and were increasing in number as the days went on. It could get a bit frustrating when his main way of communicating was overrun with a variety of holiday songs and advertisements. Although for some reason, Sam found it extremely entertaining to hear him converse through Christmas-themed stations.

The Witwickys began their preparations by putting up lights on their house, which concerned Bumblebee to no end to see his charge mounted on a shaky ladder two stories above the ground to put the delicate strands of colored lights across the roof. His offers of help were politely declined, since Sam's parents were still trying to get used to the idea that their son's car was a being from another planet, and they didn't really want a giant alien standing in their front yard trying to do careful work that involved coming into close proximity with their house.

After the lights came the Christmas tree, a tradition which Bumblebee was allowed to participate in. The event took place at night so that the Autobot could transform and walk around with the family. The whole family piled into Bumblebee, and he drove them to a nearby tree farm where the humans began the process of trying to decide exactly which piece of vegetation would look best in their living room. It was a bit puzzling to watch the trio of humans take such care in examining each tree, arguing over whether or not the pine would fit in their house, whether it was too tall or too short, or whether its branches were bushy enough. Curious things, humans. Once the family had managed to agree on a tree, Sam talked his parents into letting Bumblebee pick it for them. It was rather funny how shocked the parents were at seeing the scout simply pluck the tree out of the ground. Bumblebee wasn't too thrilled about having the scratchy thing transported home by being tied to his rooftop, but if it pleased his charge, he would tolerate it for the short drive back to the house.

The final step in preparing was the shopping. For a holiday that was supposed to be enjoyable, the humans certainly managed to stress themselves out over this particular step. Sam was no exception. Being a bit disorganized and a procrastinator, he left his shopping until the week before the holiday and then proceeded to worry about getting gifts for his parents and Mikaela.

Bee understood the concept of gifts, which was present in Cybertronian culture as well, but having a specific holiday to exchange gifts was new to him. A search of the internet revealed that most human cultures celebrated some form of Christmas, which was often accompanied by the giving of gifts.

Bumblebee spent a lot of time thinking about that specific tradition. If Christmas meant that you were supposed to show someone you cared about them by giving them something, what could he give Sam? He didn't really own anything – years of fighting and then becoming a refugee on another world had pretty much stripped him everything that he had previously possessed. Anyway, he wasn't really sure how to go about it, or even if he was allowed to celebrate with the rest of the humans. Would Sam mind if he tried to participate in the human holiday? Would receiving a gift from him simply embarrass Sam, or were they good enough friends to be able to show that they cared for each other? Bee certainly cared about Sam – he wouldn't have asked to stay with the human boy if he didn't. But was it ok to show that on Christmas?

The few remaining days until Christmas slid by, and Bumblebee was no closer to deciding what he should give Sam. Finally, on the day before the big event, he thought of one of the few things that he could give. He only hoped that Sam would enjoy it.

Not long after the sun had set on Christmas Eve, soft white flakes began to fall to the ground. Snow. The wet fluff was called snow. Bumblebee knew enough about the cold flakes to know that such an event was rare in California, and he appreciated the sight all the more as he watched the ground slowly turn to white.

The snow gave Bumblebee a strange sense of peace as he watched it fall. Everything in the world seemed to grow still as it continued throughout the evening. The colorful lights in the neighborhood lit up the darkness and cast glimmering reflections onto the white ground. Bee watched the peaceful night for hours until he finally slipped into recharge.

He was awakened early the next morning by the sound of the garage door being shoved open. Sam stood in the doorway, letting in a blinding amount of light reflected off the shimmering snow outside. He was carrying a shoebox-sized gift, which he shifted uncertainly from hand to hand.

"Merry Christmas, Bee." Sam said, the tiniest bit of hesitation in his voice. Bumblebee could sense that he wasn't quite sure how to act – obviously he hadn't had a Cybertronian guardian to share Christmas with before.

_::Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!::_

A smile flitted across the teen's face. "Hey, um…I kinda wanted to give you something." Sam slowly held out the brightly wrapped box to his guardian, a faint tinge of red coloring his face.

Bumblebee carefully took the package from Sam. Despite Bee's large size, he had the ability to be extremely careful with tiny, delicate objects, and had no problem opening the wrapped package in his hand. As the wrappings fell away, the yellow scout shuttered his optics in surprise as he looked at the contents. A pair of Californian license plates was nestled among crinkled red tissue paper.

Sam stood nervously watching his guardian examine his gift, shifting form foot to foot in anxious anticipation.

"It's your own set of license plates." Sam explained tentatively as he tried to read the expression on Bee's face. "You probably shouldn't use the ones you got off that Camaro you scanned. The police might come after you for using another car's plates or something. And you know," He shrugged and looked even more embarrassed. "whenever someone gets a car, they have to get plates for it. It shows that it belongs to that person. I guess maybe, if you wanted, you could use those to show you belong to me." Sam gestured vaguely as he continued to ramble. "Not belong as in I own you, but belong here. With me."

_::Give your loved ones a gift they'll never forget!::_ The cheery advertisement clip was accompanied by an enthusiastic chirp.

Sam looked embarrassed at Bumblebee's enthusiasm, shrugging and running his hand through his hair. "I'm glad you like it."

_::I have something here for you.::_ Sam blinked in surprise at the movie quote as Bee continued. _::It is…precious to me.::_

Bumblebee's optics flickered and images of Cybertron began to take shape before Sam's astounded eyes. Unlike the life-like holograms of a war-torn Cybertron that Optimus had shown Sam and Mikaela, Bumblebee's images were the exact opposite. One of the few things that Bee hadn't lost over the years was his memories of Cybertron before the war, and that small piece of him was what he chose to give Sam.

He showed Sam shimmering cities of metal, the tall buildings rising from the ground in intricate designs unlike anything that existed on Earth. The once grand cities of Iacon, Praxus, and the Crystal City were only a few of the stunning images that lit up the small garage, each including tiny holograms of hundreds of Cybertronians going about their daily lives among the grandeur. Throughout the display, Cybertron radiated a feeling of peace and happiness – a far cry from the violence that had overtaken the planet only a short time later.

When the final image faded, Sam looked at Bumblebee with awe. "That was…amazing. Thank you."

Bumblebee reached out and touched his charge gently on the shoulder, forcing his damaged vocalizer to work. "Merry…Christmas…Sam."

"Merry Christmas, Bee." Sam smiled and patted his guardian's hand in reply.

Bumblebee knew that in the many years to come, he would always treasure the memory of when his friend handed him that cardboard box. It wasn't the gift itself that was important, but the message that went with it. The gift was not only an invitation to participate in an important human tradition, but it was an invitation to join a family. Sam didn't have to say exactly what the gift meant, and Bumblebee doubted that the self-conscious teen would have ever dared to do so, but Bee understood. In return, he hoped that his simple gift of sharing one of the most precious things he had conveyed his feelings for his friend. If the warm smile Sam gave him was anything to go by, it seemed that it did.

It was the first Christmas Bumblebee spent with the Witwickys, and he doubted that it would be the last. He had gained a home and family right there in a tiny town in California with the human boy who had given him the wrapped box that Christmas morning.

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><p><em>I suppose February is a bit late to be posting Christmas stories, but this had been sitting on my computer for months, and I was finally inspired to finish it. Better late than never, right? :)<em>

_Quotes/songs used:_

_- Star Wars: A New Hope_

_- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring_

_All other radio quotes were made up by me._


End file.
